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Clark County Clean Water Commissioner Resigns In Protest Over Appointment

A member of the Clark County Clean Water Commission has resigned in protest of State Senator Don Benton’s appointment as the new director of Clark County’s Environmental Services Division.

Troy Maxcy says he’s stepped down because he feels the process of Don Benton’s appointment was inappropriate.

Two of the three Clark County Commissioners voted to appoint Benton to his new job, without posting the position. The agency handles permitting for projects that may affect environmental quality.

Benton is a sales and marketing consultant, and he’s been in the state legislature for sixteen years.

Commissioner David Madore, a Benton supporter, says the senator has relevant leadership experience, like his staunch opposition to the Columbia River Crossing.

Madore said, “Any dead fish can float downstream. It takes a live, energetic fish to swim upstream. Don is one of those live fish that will go against the flow and do what’s right even when it’s unpopular.”

But in a recording on the Columbian newspaper’s website, Commissioner Steve Stuart can be heard in a Wednesday meeting criticizing the way Benton was hired.